The Plague
by Raycheld22
Summary: The Stand/BTVS crossover: This is my Buffy version of Stephen King's THE STAND. They are all human and it will be similar to the book, but it's also very different. Sorry for the lack of summary, but please read and review.
1. Prologue

_A/N:__ I do not claim to own this story-line. This was inspired by the awesomeness of Stephen King and his book THE STAND. I thought it would be fun to make my own Buffy version of it, so here it is. This is not intended to offend anyone, but for entertainment purposes only._

* * *

**The Plague:**

**Prologue May 19, 2010**

It was very early morning in the California desert, only five, but it was already a scorcher. Parker Abrams really wished he'd been stationed somewhere else. He was at a government research facility in the desert, where the doctors in the compound did tests on all sorts of things, including viral weaponry. He hated having his wife and baby so close to the danger, but he didn't want to be without them either. It wasn't as if they were in harm's way really, they weren't technically in the compound. Parker was just assigned to the main gate so that all visitors were announced. His biggest job of all though, was to close the gate and everyone in if something were to leak out. It was a gravy job, but still…his nerves were always on the verge of breaking into tiny little pieces. His wife, Molly had their baby, Carrie, only fourteen months ago. He was standing around like normal, checking the cameras and making sure there were no unwelcome visitors in the area. It was approximately five fifteen in the morning when the alarms started going off everywhere in the compound. Parker froze when he saw the code red appear on his computer screen. All of the people in the compound were screaming and clawing at the doors that automatically shut then into whatever department they were in. The head doctor, Dr. Marshall, ran over to the intercom and buzzed to the main gate.

"Parker, you have to close the gate, we have a code red. Project Blue has escaped and we're dropping like flies! Close the gate, Parker; you have to close the gate!" Parker pressed the button and acknowledged that he understood. He didn't want to die like the people on the screens, they were literally were dropping like flies. He took a deep breath and pressed the button that sealed the gate…only nothing happened. Parker knew it was stupid, but he couldn't help himself. He took it as a sign that he wasn't supposed to die like that. He ran from the security hut and ran towards his house that was just inside the gate. All of the houses were eerily silent because everyone knew what the alarm meant. Parker ran into the house and stared at his wife, who was shocked to see him.

"Molly, grab the baby, we don't have much time." Molly gasped and rushed to pick up Carrie. She grabbed the diaper bag and stopped in the doorway as she continued to look at him.

"Parker, what is it?" Parker grabbed her hand and started dragging her to the car.

"Don't ask, Molly, you know what it is! Just get the baby in the car now!" Molly only froze for another minute.

"Oh God no." She quickly jumped in the front seat, not bothering to put Carrie in the car seat. Parker was glad that she was taking this seriously and he jumped into the driver's seat and floored the gas once it was on. He was horrified to see that the gate had somehow fixed itself and it was coming to a close right before his eyes. His family couldn't die like this, they just couldn't. He stepped on the gas more, ignoring the frantic calling of his wife, begging him to slow down. He closed his eyes as he shot past the gate, both sides of the car scraping loudly against it. He saw in the rearview mirror that the gate had screeched to a halt…only a few feet from closing completely. He focused his eyes only back on the road only to bring his eyes back to the rearview mirror. There was a man sitting his backseat smiling at him. His smile made Parker sick to his stomach, but when he turned to check the backseat, it was clear of anything but the baby's seat. Parker didn't know where he was going to go or even if they'd gotten out in time, but he knew that he couldn't stop until he was as far away from the compound as possible. The images of the dying people were glued to his eyes and he kept seeing them fall in heaps.

Back at the California compound, everyone died within twelve minutes. Several people had grabbed the gas masks to try to keep the bug out, but it was too late…it only prolonged the inevitable. It was as easy as a worker dropping the vial they'd been working on and it leaked out into the air vents. Shutting the gate and sealing them in would have prevented any further infection from spreading…if only Parker had closed the gate.


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: Here is the first chapter. This is only going to resemble The STAND, it's not going to be just like it. This is AU (Obviosly) the Buffy characters are normal. There are no slayers or vampires or anything like that. If you don't like the premise of this story, please don't flame, just don't read it. Also, reviews would be awesome!_

_On a side note, my chapters on this particular story are going to be rather long, just the way it's turning out...just thought I'd warn you. Also, this is going to be a 4-part story, just like the original book, but it will not be the same story, so don't expect that._

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**Chapter One **

**May 21, 2010**

It was almost forty-eight hours later and Liam Angelus was spending time with his close friends. Liam, or as his friends called him, Angel was in Arnette, Texas and there wasn't much to do in the small town. He and his buddies usually hung out at Doyle's gas n go every night just to pass the time. There were five of them and they always got together so that they could play poker or just hang out and watch the small television that Doyle had. This particular night, it was extremely hot and every window in the place was open with the fans going as they tried to cool off. Angel had moved to Arnette with his family when he was in his teens, having moved from Ireland. His accent was almost entirely gone now because at thirty-two, he had no intention of going back. His family had moved back when Angel had turned twenty and they'd begged him to go with them, but he hadn't liked Ireland and this was his home now. Doyle was watching some television show on the SyFy network about "abnormals" as the show called them. He loved anything that had weird beings in them, such as Vampires and this one dealt with just about all of them. Two of their other buddies, Tucker and Ford were playing Gin against each other. Angel was standing in the doorway, watching the thick blankets of rain coming down, and thinking about his ex, Darla, when he saw headlights up ahead. They were moving extremely fast and they were weaving from side to side. They were very quickly approaching and something clicked in him and he didn't know where it came from.

"Doyle, shut your pumps off, mate." Doyle turned around saw what Angel was looking at; only he ran outside and started yelling at them instead of doing what Angel had requested. Swearing loudly, Angel turned around and ran over to the switches. He used both hands and just turned all eight of them off in one motion. It was a good thing that Angel was fast on his feet because before he could turn around, a loud crash sounded behind him. Ford and Tucker jumped up from their game and followed Angel out the door. The car was still and Angel had a really bad feeling as they approached to make sure everyone was okay. When they rounded the car on the driver's side, the door was wide open and a man was on the ground, trying to crawl away from the scene. Angel had never seen anything like the man before. His neck was swollen and his face was splotchy with red marks all over it. His eyes and mouth were discolored and the sound of his breath wheezing in and out was very audible. When none of his friends made a move to help him, Angel rushed forward and knelt beside the man. He turned to Tucker and Ford.

"Guys, there's someone in the passenger seat, you should check on them. Doyle, you should call rescue services so they can take him to the hospital. I'll sit with him until they get here." Always one to take charge, they all listened to Angel and did as he asked. When Tucker and Ford got to the passenger side door, Ford wrenched away from the scene and began to vomit and heave, having never seen anything like that before. Tucker covered his mouth and nose as he reached a hand in to check pulses, even though he knew it was useless. The woman in the car had glassed over eyes; her neck was swollen and had black marks on it. Her eyes, nose and mouth were swollen with red splotches just like the man on the ground. She was holding a baby in her arms and when Tucker's eyes landed on it, he turned away and followed Ford's actions. Angel didn't know what to think about the man in his arms, but it was obvious he was extremely sick. The man looked up at him with tears in his red eyes.

"I guess we didn't make it after all. If we'd have stayed, we'd have died at the compound and it would have been fast. Can someone check on my wife and baby please?" Angel looked over at his friends who were recovering from the shock of what they'd seen.

"Sir, everything is okay. We've called an ambulance and they'll be here in a few minutes. What's your name?" The man didn't seem to have heard him; he was in his own world.

"We've been driving non-stop for two days trying to get as far away as possible, but we were too late, I killed my family. The whole time I was driving, a man sat in my backseat just laughing at me…the dark man. I tried to get him out of my car, but you can't…he's always there." The man stopped talking then and started coughing uncontrollably. Angel leaned him over on this stomach slightly so that he wouldn't choke, but he shuddered in his arms and took a very deep, wheezing breath before becoming still. Angel laid him on the ground and quickly jumped up. He looked up at Doyle with fear in his eyes.

"Shit Doyle, he just died. You know the crash didn't hurt him at all, he's got something. Oh man, this is so messed up."

* * *

**May 22, 2010**

Buffy Summers was scared out of her mind as she sat behind the wheel of her car. She'd just come from the doctor's office and her fears that she'd been having for the past couple of days were realized. She was sitting in front of her favorite restaurant on the dock in Ogunquit, Maine. She was waiting on her boyfriend, Lindsey McDonald, to arrive so they could talk…they both had news. Buffy had moved from Sunnydale, California when she was fifteen years old. Her mother, Joyce, had gotten a job offer with an art magazine that was going to make her travel a lot so she'd been sent to live with her father. Her father had set up shop in Maine because he'd wanted to get away from the big city. At first, Buffy had been extremely pissed at being moved across the whole country to the opposite coast, but after a few months, she found it peaceful and beautiful. Sure, she'd missed her friends like crazy, but she made new ones and she'd met Lindsey. Lindsey and she had dated from her sophomore year up until now, not breaking up once. At twenty, she knew what she wanted out of life, even if it was a little simple. When she saw his familiar physique and beautiful smile, Buffy's nerves skyrocketed. She knew for a fact that he didn't want a family; they'd talked about it several times. He walked to the driver side of the car and opened the door, reaching for her hand. Buffy allowed him to steer her out of the car and she brushed her long blonde hair out of her face. He reached down and brought her into a warm hug. Buffy was overwhelmed with how much she loved him, but did his feelings run as deep?

"Lindsey, I have something I have to tell you." Lindsey lifted his head and looked into her eyes.

"What's the matter, Buffy? You sounded so upset on the phone earlier." Buffy gently pulled away from him slightly, not letting go of his hand.

"Well, you know that I had my doctor's appointment today, right?" Lindsey tensed at her words and stood up straighter.

"What is it, Buffy? You're freaking me out, are you okay?" Buffy almost smiled at his concern. She just hoped that he didn't leave her when he found out.

"Lindsey, I'm fine…for the most part. It's just…I'm pregnant." At first, he didn't say anything at all. He stared at her and then dropped her hand. That very simple act was so significant for Buffy. She backed away from him as if he'd slapped her. She'd known Lindsey for a long time now, she knew him intimately, so she knew by the tiny gesture what he was thinking. He seemed to pull himself together and look at her.

"Oh Buffy, that's just…oh man. I've been offered an internship at Wolfram and Hart Law Firm in Las Angeles. I was going to ask you to come with me." Buffy cleared her face of any expression. She didn't want him to know how much he'd hurt. How easy it was for him to disregard her. It sure answered her questions about his feelings for her.

"Oh that's great, Lindsey, I'm so proud of you…really. When would you leave?" Lindsey's eyes softened at her words.

"Buffy this will be good for our future. I'd leave in a week and be back in two months. We can figure out what to do when I get back." Buffy stared at him, and wanted to yell at him, but she didn't. She would have insisted that he go no matter what, but it's as if what she told him didn't affect him at all.

"Lindsey, I'm keeping it." Lindsey's eyes hardened slightly as he looked at her and then he scowled, showing his true feelings.

"You just decided that right now on the fly. You know that I don't want a family right now, Buffy. Don't I get a say in this at all?" Buffy smiled sadly at him, knowing what was happening, even if he didn't yet.

"I love you, Lindsey…so much, but I don't believe for a second that you're going to come back for me, so shall we end it here?" Lindsey scoffed at her and ran a hand through his longish golden hair.

"I love you too, Buffy, but…shit, I don't know. I wasn't expecting this, I was gonna sweep you off your feet and convince you to go with me. I don't want to lose you, Buffy, but I don't think that I can do this." Buffy fought to keep her face clear of the ach starting to hammer inside of her.

"Will you at least come and see me before you leave?" Lindsey smiled sadly back at her and nodded. He kissed her on the forehead and started to walk away from her. He had to pause briefly because he started to cough rather violently. Buffy got back in her car and it wasn't until she couldn't see him anymore that she allowed herself to break down and cry.

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**May 23, 2010**

William "Spike" Pratt arrived in New York City with a sigh. He had no desire to be there, but he had no choice just then. Spike was the lead singer of the very popular band "Dingoes at my Baby". They'd been touring for almost two years and recording non-stop, trying to stay on top. He overspent his advance on the last album and his manager, Whistler, told him to get out of dodge for a bit while he smoothed things over. Spike had no desire to lose his contract or his fame, so he'd readily agreed. He wasn't from the states; he was English through and through. His mother had moved them there when he was seventeen and Spike had set out to make something of himself. When he'd been offered a recording contract, he'd fled to California to live his dreams and his mother just got left behind. He hadn't meant to stay out of touch with her for so long, but he'd just gotten caught up in the glitz and glamour. The label had given him a make-over when they'd come out with their first album. They'd cut his very curly brown hair and bleached it almost white. He was wearing eyeliner and black leather most of the time. He'd been sending money to his mother, but he only called maybe twice a year and he hadn't visited since he left. He parked his very expensive car outside the apartments his mother lived in and sighed. It was certainly a long fall from the top. When he buzzed the apartment, his mother's voice filled the intercom.

"Yes, who is it?" Spoke took a deep breath and shook his head. He was suddenly consumed with guilt for not staying in contact with her; they'd been very close once.

"Mum, it's me…William." There was a very long pause, he almost thought she hadn't heard him when the door buzzed and the locked clicked. Spoke opened the door and went up the two flights of stairs to his mother's apartment. When he got to the door, it was cracked open for him. He pushed it open the rest of the way and stood in the threshold. His mother came around the corner with a small smile on her face.

"William, you should have told me you were coming! I'd have straightened up and taken some time off of work." Spike smiled brightly at her, suddenly very happy to see her.

"It's okay, mum; I'm actually exhausted from the trip. I didn't stop very often on the way here." His mother's eyes widened at his words.

"William, tell me you didn't drive all the way here from California!" Spike grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

"It was actually very relaxing; however, it seems to have caught up with me finally." His mother shook her head and wrapped her arms around him for a hug. Spike did the same, realizing exactly how much he'd missed his mother. She let go of him with a sigh, the smile on her face now wide and bright.

"The bed is still in your old room, and the sheets are in the closet. I'd make it up for you, but I've got to get to work. I'll see you in the morning, darling, and you can tell me all about the real reason you're here." Spike chuckled as he watched her grab her purse and leave the apartment. She was a great lady and she didn't miss much.

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Willow Rosenberg was scared out of her mind, but she didn't want anyone to know why. Willow was a very shy red head, but she was also a computer whiz. Willow lived in Sunnydale California, and it had been on the local news about a false alarm at the military base. The Rosenberg's lived only ten minutes away from the compound and Willow had been woken up by the blaring alarm. It had continued to screech for over an hour. Willow, being the computer genius she was, hacked into the military database and had seen the photos and announcements to everyone. Willow had quickly shut her computer down and began to freak out silently. It wasn't until her parents had called into work because they were sick that Willow had run over to her best friend's house. Xander had his own apartment now, not wanting to live with his parents anymore. They were both twenty and had been friends since they were babies. Xander opened to door for her with a grin, but when he saw her face, he ushered her in.

"Wils, what's the matter?" Willow walked into his house and began to pace once more.

"We're all going to die, Xander, and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get arrested." Xander shut his front door and turned to face her with a frown.

"What are you talking about, Willow? Have been reading those horror novels again?" Willow only stopped pacing long enough to glare at him. The images of what she'd seen on the screen seemed to be burned on her eyes because she kept seeing them. What if she got sick like her parents obviously had? Worse, what if Xander got sick? She stopped pacing again and turned to him once more.

"Xander, I did something I'm not supposed to…I really wish that I hadn't." Xander walked closer to her, his brow furrowed in worry.

"Willow, I'm going to need a little bit of a longer statement. Do I have to guess what's happened or are you going to tell me?" Willow took a deep breath as she looked at him. Worry etched every line of her face.

"I hacked into the military database this morning and-" Xander's bark of laughter cut her off.

"Well no wonder you're freaking out, Wils. Geeze, talk about getting into trouble. Is that what all of these military trucks are doing here?" Willow huffed, getting frustrated that he wasn't taking her seriously.

"Dammit, Xander, would you please stop making jokes and pay attention to me?!" Xander stopped short and stared at her.

"Okay…sorry Wils, continue." Willow sighed and crossed her arms as she began to tell him what she'd discovered.

"You know the alarm that went off this morning at the base?" Xander nodded, not sure where she was going with this. He stayed silent so that she'd continue. She nodded back at him and continued her story.

"Well, on the news they said it was just a malfunction that had since been fixed. It wasn't a malfunction Xander. One of their stupid bio experiments they were working on escaped into the air. It's called "Project Blue" and it killed everyone in the compound within a matter of minutes. There were notices all over the site. A soldier apparently left his post at the main gate and fled…leaving the gate open. If he'd have stayed at his post and closed the gate, he'd have died too, but the disease would have been controlled, but now…it's everywhere. They said that it acts like the regular flu, but it's lethal, they don't have a cure for it. It only takes five days to kill a normal person…and my parents are in bed, sick." Xander sat quietly and didn't say anything at first. Then he bent over at the waist and started hyperventilating. He knew that Willow would never make up something like this, plus she didn't have the imagination to come up with it.

"Shit, Willow, I'm supposed to be getting married next month!" Willow glared at him and then started to laugh, somewhat hysterically.

"Xander this thing has the communicability rate of 99.9% and you're worried about your wedding?! What if…what if you, Cordy, or I get sick with whatever this seems to be?" Xander stood up straight and glared at her, blaming her for the information that he wished he didn't have.

"Well, what do you expect me to say, Willow? Why would you even tell me this? Son of a bitch!" Willow hadn't expected him to react like this…well, not blame her anyway. Tears filled her eyes as she moved towards the front door.

"Because I'm scared, Xander, and you're my best friend." Xander swore and grabbed Willow's arm before she could flee. He enveloped her into a hug and held her tight. He whispered into her ear, not letting her go.

"Its okay, Willow, I'm sorry. Of course you should have told me." When the door opened, both of them jumped. Cordelia Chase, Xander's fiancée, stood in the doorway with a grin on her face.

"Boy, it's a good thing that I'm not the jealous type." Xander slowly let go of Willow and looked at Cordy curiously. Her eyes were a little puffy and she had a tissue in her hand.

"Babe, are you okay? Why aren't you at work?" Cordy shrugged and sat her purse down, closing the door.

"I had to leave early, I'm sick. Apparently the flu is going around because only one employee stayed at the office today." Xander and Willow shared a glance, Xander's eyes filling up with tears as he stared at the woman he loved, knowing that she was doomed.

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**May 24, 2010**

Talia Daniels was studying for her test when her mother called her dorm room. Talia was twenty-one years old and currently attending the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She was in her third year there and she was studying forensics so she could join the CSI. Talia was originally from San Francisco, California. She'd done a lot of research before picking her school and Tennessee seemed to have the best forensics program. She was very dedicated to her studies, even though most of her friends didn't understand why she wanted to work around dead bodies. Talia was a pretty girl, she was short at five feet four, and she had curly red hair that she almost always kept in a ponytail. She had extremely light skin and freckles all over that she hated. She was annoyed at her concentration being broken, but the ring tone said it was her mother, so she got up to answer it. When she picked up her phone, her mother's voice reached her with a cough.

"Hey sweetheart…I have to tell you something." She stopped to cough again, moving the phone away from her mouth. Talia frowned as she held the phone.

"You don't sound so good, mom, are you okay?" There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

"Honey, your sister is in the hospital under critical condition." Talia felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. Tina Daniels was Talia's twin sister and her best friend.

"Oh no mom, what's happened to her?!" Her mother paused again to cough.

"Have you not been watching the news today? There's been a flu epidemic in the whole state of California…some places are under a quarantine. They say there's nothing abnormal about it, it's just the flu, but sixty people are being reported dead. Tina's in the hospital with it and now I have it. Whatever you do, honey, I want you to promise me that you won't come back here. I know you're going to want to hop in a plane and come check on us, but you can't. I don't want you to catch whatever this is. I'm going to go and lie down; baby, my head is swimming, but know that I love you very much. Please stay away from California, Talia, I mean it. Pray for us, Talia, and I want you know to know that I'm thinking about you."


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N:__ Sorry for the long delay in an update, it's been a crazy couple of weeks. The chapters will start coming more frequently. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, it's awesome! I wasn't expecting this kind of response. Just a few things and then I'll shut up._

_Okay...this story isn't going to be exactly the same as the book....just similar. With the multitude of characters in Stephen King's book, I couldn't find characters to fit everyone. That's why I decided to add Xander and Willow as their own characters. They are not modeled after any charactes in the book, they are seperate. Also, Talia is an original character that I've used in several of my Buffy fanfics. She's not going to have a big part at all, but there is a reason she's there, I promise._

_Lastly, Not all characters are going to show up at once, just like in the book. I'll be introducing characters throughout the story, which is going to be a four part story like the movie. I've taken things from the book and the movie and meshed them. Okay...I'll stop typing now. Again, thank you to everyone who's reviewed, I love them so!_

* * *

**Chapter Two**

May 25, 2010

When Angel woke up from a deep sleep because of shouts and loud knocking, he knew that something was seriously wrong. He'd had a sense of foreboding since he'd tried to help that soldier, Parker, but it was later than expected. Angel got out of bed and quickly threw his clothes on to go and answer the hammering on his door. Angel walked to the front of the house, dread marking every step he took. When he pulled the door open, there were two soldiers holding automatic weapons. A clean-cut, young black man in a very nice suit stood in front of him, holding a clipboard. They were all wearing military issued gas masks. Angel knew what this was about, but he didn't appreciate the "strong arm" approach they were using. Angel didn't say anything to them; he just stared and stood in the doorway of his house. The young man in the suit stepped forward slightly.

"My name is Forrest Gates, are you Mr. Angelus?" Angel stared at them for a minute before resigning himself to what he knew was inevitable.

"You're at my house, aren't you?" Forrest Gates smirked behind his mask and looked down at his clipboard.

"Okay Mr. Angelus, with the situation with Parker Abrams, we have to quarantine you to make sure you don't exhibit symptoms. Since you had direct contact with Abrams, I'm going to need you to come with us to the Center of Disease Control in Vermont." Angel sighed again, shaking his head.

"I don't suppose I have a choice in this, do I?" Forrest looked away briefly before meeting his eyes again.

"I'm afraid not, Sir. You have ten minutes to grab some clothes only and then we're coming in after you." Angel looked across the street and saw that Doyle was being shoved towards the army truck. Doyle's girlfriend, Kate, was shortly pushed after him. All along the street, people were being forced out of their homes. Angel saw that it was those of them that had been there and everyone they'd come in contact with since. Angel went back inside his house to get the clothes he knew he'd want; the entire time, he was thinking that he'd been wrong about the magnitude of the problem. It was much worse that he'd thought and worse than they wanted anyone to know.

* * *

Buffy Summers was sitting outside on the porch, reading a book, when Andrew Wells walked up her driveway. Buffy groaned inwardly as she saw him approach and tried to muster up some politeness. Buffy had gotten a call from Lindsey's mother earlier that day. She'd proceeded to call her all kinds' trash for trying to trap her son and that it was his fault that he'd had to cancel the internship. She'd said that it was her fault that Lindsey had contracted the flu because he'd emotionally distressed and hadn't been able to fight it off. She'd also told her that she was going to go out of her way to prove her as an unfit mother and take her baby away from her. Buffy had ended up screaming at her that it wasn't her fault that her son was a spineless bastard and didn't want to take ownership and responsibility of the situation. She's also screamed that it'd be over her dead body when she got custody of her child. Her father had walked in the room then and stared at her. When she'd slammed the phone down, she'd burst into tears. Hank Summers had rushed to his daughters' side and enveloped her into a hug. Buffy had cried on his shoulder and then explained the situation. All things considered, her father was taking everything great, told her he'd support anything she chose to do.

So, it was safe to say that when Andrew Wells showed up, her day was going to get worse. She couldn't really blame him for anything, he was a sweet kid. It was just that he was so persistent even when she'd blatantly told him she wasn't interested. Andrew was seventeen years old, short, mousey, pimply, nerdy, and annoyingly contradictive. He'd had a crush on her since she'd moved there and he'd boldly explained that it was because of her needing the "Hollywood image" was the reason she didn't see him the way he wanted her to. Buffy watched as a smile appeared on his face when he saw her sitting on the front porch. Buffy was going to be nice if it killed her. When he stopped in front of her, he smiled and waved.

"Hi Buffy, how are you doing today?" Buffy stood up with a sigh and smiled politely back at him.

"I'm good, Andrew, how about you? It's really pretty today, isn't it?" Andrew shrugged and continued to stare at her, making her uncomfortable. Andrew walked up onto the porch and faced her. Buffy lifted an eyebrow and didn't know what to say that wasn't rude.

"So, what brings you over here, Andrew?" Andrew's face lit up at her words and he stood up just a little straighter. Buffy wanted to flee because she knew the look on his face. Andrew was going to ask her out yet again.

"Well, I heard your Dingo's concert got cancelled and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to a film festival tomorrow. It starts at noon and it'll run pretty long, but I think we'll have fun together." Buffy put on a bright, yet fake, smile on her face for Andrew.

"Oh Andrew, that's so sweet of you to think of me. It's just…my dad is feeling under the weather and I want to stay here with him. He always drops down like rock when he gets the flu and I just want to make sure he eats and takes his medicine. Just out of curiosity, what kind of movies are they showing?" Andrew's very hopeful expression fell at her words. She absolutely hated hurting his feelings, but he was just asking for it. Andrew looked down at his hands briefly, trying to compose himself, and then looked back up at her.

"It's a Stephen King Festival in the park. They're going to show Carrie, Maximum Overdrive, Misery, and The Shining. I just thought it would be fun because next month, they're going to show four more of his movies." Buffy gave him a fake shudder, trying to be polite.

"Wow that sounds super creepy. I don't think I could even sit through all of that. I'm sure you'll find someone to go with though…maybe someone from school?" Andrew stood up straight at her words and shook his head.

"Of course I can find someone to go with me. Tell Mr. Summers that I hope he feels better." Buffy watched as Andrew walked quickly away from her, knowing that she'd offended him again. Groaning to herself, she walked inside the house and plopped down on the couch, not wanting to move.

* * *

May 26, 2010

Faith Lehane was more than bored as she walked down the street away from the club she'd just vacated. It was a little after ten in the evening and one of the busiest club days was a bust. Usually Wednesdays were ladies night and she could get into almost any club for free, but there wasn't anyone there. Knoxville was already a boring enough town, but now even the club scene was dead. She'd heard on the news that a lot of people were sick and in bed, but it couldn't be that bad. The news reports were saying that everyone was blowing it out of proportion and the supposed epidemic was in their heads. All that mattered was that she was fine…five by five she liked to say. Groaning, Faith headed back to her loft apartment in the old city and tried not to be too disappointed. She worked as a waitress and Wednesday nights were one of the only things that she really looked forward to. It looked like she was going to be stuck inside reading…yeah right. She walked in her apartment and immediately flicked on her Cd of Dingo's ate my baby. They were supposed to be coming to play in the summer, but tickets sales had been pushed back. It was just as well, the tickets were very pricey. She flopped down on the couch with her latest vampire series that she was reading, when her roommate, Kennedy, walked out of her room wrapped in a robe. She was clutching a box of tissues and pretty much looked like hell. Faith sat up when she saw her, concern etched into her features.

"Wow, Ken, what's up with you?" Kennedy glared over at Faith, clearly not finding her question humorous.

"What does it look like, Faith? I'm sick, so don't come near me because I think it's the flu." Faith tried to hide the shock on her face. Sick people already gave her the wiggins, but it was so much worse with this so called "Super-flu" on the loose. Despite her effort to hide it, Kennedy caught her look and rolled her eyes.

"Don't be so gullible, Faith, it's just the standard flu. I've had it before and it's because I didn't get my flu shot." Faith forced a smile on her face, trying to make light of the fact that she secretly thought the super-flu existed. Why would the government be denying it so much if it wasn't real?

"Of course it's just normal, Kennedy, you'll bounce back in no time. I just can't afford to miss work, which was what the look was for." Kennedy frowned at her as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

"You're in extremely early for a Wednesday, aren't you?" Faith sighed, not wanting to meet her eye.

"The club was boring, I wasn't feeling it tonight." Kennedy nodded and sneezed into a tissue she was holding.

"I feel like poo, I'm going back to bed." Faith nodded and sighed. Sure, she didn't want to get sick, but she couldn't let Kennedy suffer in silence.

"Listen, if you need anything, just holler for me, okay?" Kennedy gave a weak smile as she stopped in front of her room.

"Thanks, Faith that means a lot." Faith silently prayed that it was standard flu and that the whole thing was a lie, but deep down…she didn't think it was.

* * *

May 27, 2010

Daniel Osbourne, or as he liked to call himself, Oz, was walking down a deserted street in Shoyo, Kansas. Oz was literally in his own little world and didn't see the three men that were waiting for him up head. They were hidden behind the dense bushes that surrounded the street. It wasn't as if they were being quiet, they were actually talking rather loudly for people who were trying to act covert. However, Oz couldn't hear them. Oz had born a deaf mute and he was quite comfortable in his state of silence. In fact, there were loads of times that he welcomed the quiet. Why would he want to hear the constant buzz of arguing or engines? It was quite peaceful in his head, though he hadn't always thought this way. No, he'd been a little ignorant and favored self pity when he was younger, but thanks to an old friend, that had been rectified. Hey, he was alive, wasn't he? He really couldn't ask for more in life. He'd stopped a restaurant back in the town and had been trying to enjoy his dinner when the three men that were hiding had tried to give him trouble. He'd ignored them, not being able to hear them, so he if he didn't look at them, they didn't bother him. He hadn't realized that the men had been drinking and the fact that he was ignoring them had only angered them more. People had always been uncomfortable around Oz, but he'd learned to let it roll off of his back…basically he was used to it. When he reached the place where they were waiting for him, he didn't flinch when the leader, Luke, let out a loud yell. His two goons, Jesse and Owen grabbed Oz, bringing him out of his own world and startling him. He cursed himself silently for not paying more attention to his surroundings. He managed to get a lick in to Luke, but the other two got a firm grip on him and he couldn't pull away in time to avoid Luke's fist connecting to his gut. He doubled over as the wind got knocked out of him, giving Luke just the angle he needed to bring his knee up into Oz's face. Oz really didn't remember anything after this, the blow knocking him unconscious.

* * *

May 28, 2010

Spike was worried about his mother, but he wouldn't say that to her. She was still working, but it was clear that she was getting sick. She assured him that she was fine and that it was just the sniffles, but with the news reports of hospitals filling up because of the super-flu…well, he was worried. Whistler hadn't called him since he'd been there and the one time that Spike had called him, he'd told him to calm down and that he was working on it. He'd ended up telling his mom the real reason that he was in town, but it didn't stop the fact that he was glad to be spending what time he could with her. She said she wasn't upset, and she sure didn't act like she was. The day after he'd shown up on her doorstep, she'd bought all of his favorite foods and drinks and stocked the kitchen for him. It had brought a huge smile to his face when he'd opened the refrigerator. He was cooking dinner for them…spaghetti, one of the only things he knew how to cook. When she walked through the door and saw him at the stove, her face lit up at the sight.

"Oh William, I hope that you're not cooking that for me." Spike grinned at her and bowed slightly.

"Guilty as charged…how are you feeling?" Grace Pratt smiled at her son as she hung her jacket and purse up.

"I'm fine, William, I think I'm over the hump. That sure smells delicious. Do you think I have time to wash up before it's done?" Spike chuckled and nodded his head.

"Sure, go ahead. I've already set the table." She walked down the hall to the bathroom, coughing the whole time. Spike sat down in one of the dining room chairs and frowned. He knew that she'd just lied to him because he'd heard her during the night. She refused to go to the doctor, but it seemed like he was going to have to force the issue. When she reappeared, he forced a smile on his face and held a chair out for her.

"I'll just get the food and I'll serve." He set about keeping busy so that he couldn't dwell on just how sick she really was.


End file.
